Researchers at Leiden University’s Topological Mechanics Lab have discovered and used 3D printed lattices to test a unique ‘topographical insulator’ that may be able to react to tension and compression at specific points, buckling when needed or manipulated. While the areas that are capable of buckling under stress are able to potentially save a structure like a bridge or building from eroding or failing eventually, they look identical to the rest of the structure. The researchers see a future for this material in engineering and building, as well as even medicine. They foresee that the material may be able to self-morph in deviated conditions such as extreme temperature. Read more about this latest research: http://3dprint.com/72297/3d-printed-lattice-buckling/


Below is a look at the compression and targeted buckling of the researchers' metamaterial: